PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A new group named Rhode Island Catholics for Marriage Equality urged the state Senate Wednesday to pass a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage.
The group, claiming more than 100 members, is made up of "Catholics from parishes and communities across the state," according to Rhode Islanders United for Marriage.
Members are invited to sign a pledge that reads in part: "I am a Catholic, and I support marriage for same-sex couples. As a Catholic, I am called to actively love and support my neighbors, including ... gay and lesbian families."
The group also has a website, www.riunited.org/catholics.
Read the agenda for tomorrow's Senate Judiciary hearing.
Christopher Plante, regional director for the National Organization for Marriage, which supports one-man, one-woman marriage, responded: "This is nothing new. Same-sex marriage advocates have done this in every state."